Template:Did you know nominations/Forbidden Area (Playhouse 90)

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Cwmhiraeth (talk) 07:07, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Forbidden Area (Playhouse 90)

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Charlton Heston in Forbidden Area

... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area (1956) featured Charlton Heston (pictured) thwarting a massive Christmastime nuclear attack from a fleet of Russian submarines off the coast of the United States? Sources: Kinescope, and this article.

Reviewed: Brown Meggs

Created by Cbl62 (talk). Self-nominated at 03:51, 27 September 2020 (UTC).

Hi Cbl62, here is my review. Article is new enough, nominated in time (just), long enough cited and within policy. The hook is perfectly interesting and summarises the play well. Maybe you could put "1956 play" before the title instead of the year in parenthesis just to avoid it coming over like a regular film, and link to Christmastide. We are just waiting for a QPQ. Rcsprinter123 (palaver) 12:34, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

@Rcsprinter123: Thank you for the review. QPQ now added. Also linked to Christmastide. As for calling it a "play" in the hook, that would incorrectly connote to readers that this was a live theatrical production rather than a dramatic television production broadcast live to homes across the United States. Cbl62 (talk) 14:14, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

That's no problem, we want to be as clear and accurate as possible. Rcsprinter123 (state) 15:37, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

Rule C6 tries to avoid hooks like this. Could you write a hook that doesn't just tell the plot? Thanks, Yoninah (talk) 19:32, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

@Yoninah: How about this?

alt 1 ... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area began the four-year run of "the greatest television series of all time" ... and it wasn't The Twilight Zone? Cbl62 (talk) 13:53, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

The "hookiness" derives from the fact that Serling is best known as the creator of The Twilight Zone. The hook fact is supported by this New York Times article: "'Playhouse 90' won five Emmys its second season. In a poll of television editors by Variety in 1970, it was voted the greatest television series of all time." Cbl62 (talk) 14:25, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

or if we need to be super-precise but a little less hooky:

alt 2 ~~... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area began the four-year run of a show voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time" ... and it wasn't The Twilight Zone?~~ Cbl62 (talk) 14:32, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

@Cbl62: thanks for the alts. I'm familiar with the Rod Serling—Twilight Zone connection, but I don't see the hookiness in either alt. If you start off with Forbidden Area, why would I think you're talking about The Twilight Zone? Yoninah (talk) 15:49, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Because Serling is so closely tied to Twilight Zone and it's regarded as a great show. And both Playhouse 90 and Twilight Zone were anthology shows. Yet, few people today are familiar with Playhouse 90, even though it was so critically acclaimed in its day. I really thought I'd come up with a home run hook. Cbl62 (talk) 15:52, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Well, it appeals to you because this is your area of specialty. People just reading the hook at face value won't come to that conclusion. Yoninah (talk) 17:07, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

If you have nothing else to say, just trim the hook and pipe the link to Playhouse 90:
ALT2a: ~~... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area began the four-year run of a drama series voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time"?~~ Yoninah (talk) 17:21, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Yoninah -- You may be right. When I came up with it this morning, I thought it was the best hook ever. As for alt2a, I think it's better practice to avoid a secondary piped link that is likely to suck in most of the views, and I think a piped link to Playhouse 90 would do this. Does one of these (I like the word "launch" given the context) do the trick? Cbl62 (talk) 20:02, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

alt 3 ... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area (actor pictured), a nuclear war thriller, launched the four-year run of a series voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time"? The Sacramento Bee review called it a "thriller"
alt 4 ~~... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area launched the four-year run of an anthology series voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time"?~~ Cbl62 (talk) 20:02, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

@Cbl62: thanks for the alts. I really like the wording in ALT3. Can you provide an inline cite to support nuclear war thriller? Yoninah (talk) 20:06, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

@Yoninah: Done. Thanks for your patience. Cbl62 (talk) 20:20, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

BTW, I did love the photo of Col. Price with the eye patch if you wanted to add (pictured) after the title and use in a lead spot. I'm good either way. Thanks again. Cbl62 (talk) 20:22, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Thanks. ALT3 hook refs verified and cited inline. Rest of review per Rcsprinter123. ALT3 good to go. Yoninah (talk) 20:34, 1 October 2020 (UTC)